‘Overwintering’ your Caladium

Your caladium has thrived in the summer heat, but as winter approaches, your Caladium will need that little bit more attention to see it through, and give it more chance of coming back next year. Caladiums are bulb plants, which mean they need to be cut back in the Autumn, kept in a dark cool room to ‘overwinter’ ready to be planted again in the Spring.

As Autumn approaches, your Caladium will lose its leaves. As long as your plant has been watered correctly, drooping and loss of leaves is normal! When your Caladium starts to look like the below it’s time to overwinter.

What you need:

Sharp, clean scissors / snips

A repotting mat / newspaper 

Paper bag/s

Pen + plant label

Steps to follow:

1/ Loosen plant from pot - avoid watering beforehand to make this easier
2/ Clean off soil to reveal bulb [also known as a ‘corm’]
3/ Check bulb is not brown or mushy and there are no pests about (mealybugs are a common one)
4/ Roots should look healthy and white, no brown, mushiness or mould
5/ Chop back tubers (stems) to the soil line
6/ Trim back roots
7/ Label your paper bag and Plant tag with your Caladium variety so you know what it is next Spring
8/ Leave exposed to dry out completely for a week or so
9/ Place in a paper bag or any breathable material [not a plastic food bag as your bulbs will rot]
10/ Store in a cool, dark and dry place

We advise that you check in on your bulbs every month - check they are still dry and no signs of rot.

Check back in with us in the Spring to see how we plant our Caladium bulbs ✌

Watch our Instagram video

How to ‘Overwinter’ your Caladium

When to ‘Overwinter’ your Caladium

What we did next…

What to do with your discarded Caladium leaves after Overwintering…? Grab yourself a Kenzan “flower frog” to create an impactful, minimalist centre piece with your stems.

Watch here